Back catalogue: Funk

Review: This Heinz Von Moisy release on Wah Wah Records is limited to 500 copies! Don't waste any time, get hold of this funky classic while you still can.

Review: 28 of the most classic 50 Cent samples on a double LP!

Review: Here's yet another rare '80s compilation with even more deep cuts than the last. Where do they find them all? Heavenly Sweetness clearly know but they ain't telling! They are showing though, and here on Digital Zandoli they reveal 12 newly discovered disco, boogie and zouk tracks recorded about 30 years ago in the West Indies. We're clearly spoilt for choice on this record, but highlights include the synthetic sea breeze grooves of Puzzle Pulsion's "Mwoin Ka Songe", the mellow Afro grooves of Zanman's "Poutchi" and the abstract body music via a sandy beach vibes of OR EA's "Biguine Inferno".

Review: The cleverly deceptive genius Patrick Adams was born March 17, 1950 in New York City. Some people are just destined for greatness and Adams was one of those. He wrote his first song at 12, made his first record at 16 and produced his first track at 17. It would take several more years for the world to realize his genius. In 1966 Patrick joined a neighbourhood group and they immediately auditioned for a role in "Up The Down Staircase". The boys won the part of the high school dance band and are featured in a segment of the Warner Brothers film. Two months later the guys, now known as "The Sparks," were signed to Curb/MGM. But after failing to chart the label quickly dropped them. The Sparks continued performing and touring together for four more years. Patrick's next success came the following year (1967) when he wrote "You've Got To Learn Something" for the children's show "Sesame Street". In 1970 Adams left the group to take a job as A&R Vice-President of Perception/Today Records. During that period he also worked as a sideman with numerous artists like Astrud Gilberto and Les Variations. In 1974 Patrick teamed up with Peter Brown to form P&P Records. The label was distributed by Morris Levy's Roulette Records and housed the sub-labels Queen Constance, Heavenly Star, Jay Star, Chocolate Star Records and many more. He also started PAPMUS his own production company. During the next four years, as disco was merging, Adams became a key figure in its growth scoring countless hits including: "Atmosphere Strut" with Cloud One, "My Baby's Got E.S.P." with Four Below Zero, and "Lady Bug" by Bumblebee Unlimited. 1978 was Patrick's breakthrough year. The infamous song was "In The Bush". "I did not sit down and invent the phrase "Push Push In The Bush" in a moment of meditative genius. I was in the recording studio looking for a chant to put on the chorus of this last hot track for the Musique album. I was thinking out loud of my older brother and his friends. Sometimes they would chant - "To The Bush". This was a reference to a dance club that they frequented. A true indicator of how times have change, the first time Patrick played the cut for his label head honcho Marv Schlacther yelled, "Patrick, I can't put that out!" After some serious discussion it was decided that it would be included on the album but not promoted as a single. About three weeks later, the cover story on Billboard Magazine was that about 600 radio stations were banning some naughty record called "Push Push In The Bush!" exclaims Patrick. The rest as they say is history. Over the course of the next three years Patrick Adams racked up an impressive 22 hits. As the disco-era changed, so too did Adams. In the 1980's he would lend his creative genius to such notable acts as Salt 'N' Pepa, Keith Sweat and Carol Lynn Townes. In the 1990's he helmed recordings by Eric B. & Rakim, Paul Lekakis and Morris Day. Patrick has received the ASCAP "Songwriter Of The Year" award three times. He has multiple Gold and Platinum record awards and at last his very own 'Best Of' collection.

Review: Capturing the essence and feels of the long-standing event he runs in his Swiss hometown of Lausanne, veteran digger and selector Attias presents a brand new compendium of sweet compositions that sum up he's at creatively and spiritually. Gems on gems on gems: highlights that we guarantee will appeal to your good tastes and dancefloor include the hypnotic vibraphone wash of Cro-Magnon's "Midnight Magic", the slept-on jittering funk of Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks's "Cascade" and Material and Nona Hendrix's ludicrously funky, ultimately sleazy slinker "Over & Over". We suspect you'll be playing this record over and over, too...

Review: Curated by the legendary producer Arthur Baker, Breakers Revenge is a comprehensive compilation of original funk, soul, Latin, disco and electro tracks from 1970-1984. These tracks, ranging from well-known classics to hidden gems, have become legendary in the world of breakdancing. Featuring seminal tracks like Dennis Coffey's 'Scorpio', The Jimmy Castor Bunch's 'It's Just Begun' and Afrika Bambaataa's groundbreaking 'Planet Rock', this collection embodies the essence of breakdancing culture. The percussive breakdowns and infectious beats of these tracks have not only been the soundtrack to countless block parties and park jams but have also been sampled by numerous hip-hop artists and producers. With extensive liner notes and track-by-track breakdowns, Breakers Revenge is perfect time capsule for fans of breakdancing, hip-hop and music enthusiasts.

Review: Previously unreleased, Joe Bataan (real name Bataan Nitollano) recorded the bulk of the material making up Drug Story in 1972. This new, highly limited box set hears seven revered, rarely-heard gems of Latin jazz, deep soul, raucous boogaloo, and heavy salsa by the legend, most of which were largely salvaged from his very own self-run Ghetto Records vaults. Drug Story was inspired by true events, and hears Bataan croon graciously over themes of destitution, lost family members and friends, and addiction. One of three definitive reissues of Bataan's greatest works, licensed from Bataan himself, with his oversight and input into a 15 page oversized book by Pablo Yglesia,s that details Bataan's larger-than-imagination life and his little Latin label that could.

Review: Last year saw BBE call on Kev Beadle, a well respected digger, selector, radio host and label boss, to dust down his curation hat and put together Private Collection, his first compilation in almost two decades. Given the critical reception to that twelve track selection of independent jazz from the '70s and '80s it's little surprise to see BBE invite Beadle to dig through his personal archives for a second edition. Many of the tracks included here are the epitome of rare, given the fist airing outside the legendary club sessions that Beadle played back in the day and focuses more on the modal, spiritual and cosmic end of the jazz spectrum. A most enlightening collection from Mr Beadle.

Review: Founded in the early '70s by karaoke's accidental inventor Irv Kratka, Inner City Records's stamp on jazz was one of the strongest during its 15 year tenure. Paying respect to traditional and fusion, it caught the world's attention and admiration in a very special way. Super-Intendant selector Kev Beadle was one of its most influential pushers on this side of the pond, so he's the perfect man to select and secure the 14 label-defining classics you hear right here. A great starting point for any Inner City starter and a well-considered, dynamic collection for collectivists, this captures a unique moment in jazz that still sparkles and pops to this day.

Review: Three years on from the release of his last Private Collection compilation, British jazz survivor Kev Beadle returns with a third selection of little-known "independent jazz" from the 1970s and '80s. As usual, it's a pleasingly varied affair with a clear dancefloor focus. Beadle, a man with an enviable record collection, variously showcases South American jazz-funk fusion (see Banda Metalurgia's fantastic "La Em Guayaquil" and Francisco Mara Catlett's thrillingly upbeat, "Brazilian Love Affair" style smasher "Samba De Amor"), Nat King Cole style smoothness (the Leon Thomas voiced "Little Sunflower" by Louis Hayes Group), dazzlingly positive extended workouts (Clarice Lebbe and Charlie Hampton), heavy percussion jams (Finn Savery Trio) and confirmed jazz-dance classics (the soul-jazz stomp of Webster Lewis).

Review: Woody Bianchi, renowned funk digger and DJ, embarks on yet another archaeological record collection excavation, unearthing yet another volume of badass funk from the adjacent era of disco that emerged in the 70s and 80s. This is an in depth compilation series to say the least: the tracks are all examples of funk greats which reflected certain motifs from the disco explosion that came after it - even "James Brown had to take notice of the Saturday Night Fever". Several hard-to-find gems appear among ubiquitous classics, among extensive liner notes by Woody himself.

Review: Bob Blank is one of New York's most revered producers of all time. This compilation from Strut, is the very first retrospective on him and his work at his independent studio, Blank Tapes. This was one of NYC's most influential spots during the city's thriving art scene of the mid 70s and 80s. This exclusive compilation even includes the very first track ever recorded at the studio in addition to some hidden gems that have come straight from the studio's vaults.

Review: All the Brand Nubian originals you would ever want on a 2LP.